Researchers say that a cancer vaccine that uses technology similar to the Corona vaccine has recorded early results that are "really hopeful", according to the British newspaper The Independent.
The vaccine was given to 8 patients with head and neck cancer at the Clatterbridge Cancer Center of the National Health Service in Britain after they received the standard treatment.
None of the patients relapsed after several months.
In contrast, two patients in the control group who did not receive the vaccine had a recurrence of cancer.
Optimistic about the results, but with caution
According to a report by writer Samuel Lovett in the British newspaper, Professor Christian Ottenmayer - a consultant medical oncologist and director of clinical research at the "Clutterbridge" Center - tells Sky News that he is "cautiously optimistic" about the results.
"I'm really optimistic, very excited about it. All the data are pointing in the right direction."
The vaccine - codenamed TG4050 - was made by the French company Transgene using a similar technology that produced the AstraZeneca anti-Covid-19 vaccine.
What AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine technology did the new cancer vaccine use?
The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine was developed by the British AstraZeneca Laboratory and the University of Oxford.
And the technique he uses is “viral vector”, in which he uses another, less virulent virus, which is converted to be added to a part of the Corona virus, and the modified virus is introduced into the cells of individuals, which produce a typical protein for “SARS Cove 2”, which is What would prompt their immune systems to recognize it.
The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine uses adenoviruses as a viral vector, in a technology similar to the Russian vaccine.
How is the new cancer vaccine designed?
The vaccine is tailored to each patient according to the DNA in their cancer.
How does the new cancer vaccine work?
After the vaccine is injected, the body is asked to produce proteins similar to those on the surface of tumors, which trigger an immune response.
In theory, any cancer cells that show the same surface proteins remaining in the bloodstream after surgery are destroyed by T cells, preventing the cancer from gaining a foothold.
"The immune system can see things that we can't see in scans," Professor Ottenmaier told Sky News. "It is much smarter than humans."
30 zones
There are more than 30 areas of the head and neck where cancer can develop, including the mouth and throat.
These types of cancer have a high chance of recurrence and recurrence of the tumor.
Doctors are optimistic about the vaccine because it is specific to each patient's cancer.
It offers patients "new hope" in the race to treat cancer, says Transgene's chief medical officer, Dr. Maud Prandelli.
However, Dr. Juanita Lopez, a clinical researcher at the Institute of Cancer Research, cautioned that a "highly personalized" vaccination strategy is time-consuming and complex, taking about 4 weeks to produce a vaccine for just one patient, and is also very expensive, she says.
What is head and neck cancer?
Head and neck cancer is a malignant tumor that appears in these parts of the body.
Head and neck cancers include tumors affecting the supraclavicular region, and are divided into 3 main sections: oral cavity cancer, laryngeal cancer, and nasopharyngeal cancer.
Cancer cells usually start in the sinuses, salivary glands, mouth, nose and throat.
Head and neck cancerous tumors are characterized by higher rates of infection among males compared to their prevalence among females, where the rate of male exposure to these injuries is 3 times higher than the rate of female exposure to them, and the most vulnerable people are those who have reached the age of 50.
Symptoms of infection vary depending on the location of the cancerous cells in the head or neck, and may include:
The appearance of painful tumors or ulcers that do not heal in the mouth.
Difficulty swallowing.
change in voice
In some cases, people with head and neck cancer show some early symptoms, which increases the chances of early detection of the disease and thus treating it effectively. Unfortunately, most of these cancers are not diagnosed until a late stage, which makes it more difficult to treat.
More than 60% of head and neck cancer cases are diagnosed late, according to a statement issued by Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar in April 2018.
Factors that increase the risk of head and neck cancer include:
smoking.
Consumption of alcoholic beverages.
Exposure to human papillomavirus infection.
Environmental, genetic, and functional factors may play a role in increasing the chances of developing the disease.
As is the case with other cancerous diseases, the chances of survival and recovery from head and neck tumors increase the more accurate and early the diagnosis is made, and the use of advanced surgical methods, radiotherapy and chemotherapy greatly helps in improving patients' health conditions.